Promoting Coir Products in the World Market

("The Cocommunity" - Monthly APCC Newsletter
Volume 42, Series No 2- February 2012)

The Ministry of Health and Coir of the State Government of Kerala, India in coordination with the National Coir Research and Management Institute - an agency under the Department of Coir Development, the Coir Board and the Central Coir Research Institute will hold the “Coir Kerala Fair” on 4 - 7 February 2012 at the EMS Stadium, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. It will be one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive Expo on Kerala coir and natural fibre products.

The four-day event aims at exploring and expanding the international market for coconut coir products from Kerala, India. It will also promote and encourage the use of the latest technologies and machineries used in the processing of coir fiber and coir-based products.

The Coir Kerala Fair will provide ample opportunities for domestic manufacturers, exporters and foreign buyers to meet and interact to promote joint ventures, establish new markets and trading mechanisms, strengthen existing markets and widen business contacts and networks. It will likewise showcase the best coir-based products to the world. The organizers have indicated that the Fair will capitalize on the “Go Green” movement and the growing preference for eco-friendly, natural fibre products around the world as awareness of natural products and their advantages in preserving and sustaining the environment are gaining strength.
According to the Honorable Adoor Prakash, Minister for Health and Coir, Government of Kerala, “Coir Kerala 2012” will be an international event on coir which will provide a platform to comprehensively evaluate the current global market trends, innovations in the application of coir, opportunities and challenges, research and development in the natural fibre industry, particularly on coir and coir-based products.

There will be an international seminar during the Fair and in-depth panel discussions with industry experts, scientists, policy makers, entrepreneurs, academicians and thinkers representing the global natural fibre community from various countries.
Indeed, we need to vigorously promote coir and coir-based products in the world market. We need to showcase the unique properties of coir fibre when compared to other fibres. Researchers have shown that coir is the thickest and the most resistant of all commercial natural fibres. The cellular structure of coir makes it more elastic than other natural fibres. The cell walls of coir fibre and pith contain more lignin than any other commercially relevant natural fibre. As a natural polymer, the lignin in coir fibre adds strength and elasticity to the cellulose-based fibre walls. And since lignin resists bio-degradation, high-lignin materials such as coir fibre imparts strength and longevity to outdoor applications. These include geotextiles which have become a very important eco-friendly product gaining a strong market in the USA, Europe and Asian countries as erosion control blankets, nets for slope protection, mulch blankets, roof greening mats, grow sticks, coco logs as well as skeffed coir for river bank/canal bank support. Coconut pith has also gained wide acceptance in many horticultural applications. The demand for mattress fibre, as in China, remains as a big market with tremendous opportunities.

Indeed, the remarkable properties of coir fibre have made it as the fibre of choice for several applications. These properties should give coir fibre and coir-based products distinct competitive advantage in the world market.